Moore: Cowboys left seeking way to carry on minus Sean Lee

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IRVING — As the realization sunk in, as the Cowboys came to grips that the season must go on without Sean Lee, the players did their best to sort through the emotional and strategic fallout.

Yes, it’s a blow to lose a player with more interceptions at his position than any other linebacker in the NFL since the start of the 2010 season. But there is more than a physical void to fill. Lee’s ability to recognize plays and get the defense quickly into place has been critical.

The task of replacing Lee — who was placed on injured reserve Wednesday, ending his season — falls to Dan Connor, his friend and teammate since their college days at Penn State. His assessment?

“He’s irreplaceable,” Connor said of Lee. “I’ve got to rise to the occasion, but it will take a couple of guys to fill it.

“A lot of guys have to step in from different positions.”

The Cowboys aren’t the first defense to absorb a devastating loss in the early stages of this season. Baltimore is without Ray Lewis. Houston has lost Brian Cushing.

How the Cowboys respond will define their season. First, a quick quiz into what the torn plantar plate in Lee’s right toe has taken away.

Q: Lee leads the Cowboys with 208 tackles since moving into the starting lineup to open last season. Who is second in that span?

A: Linebacker Anthony Spencer with 112 tackles.

Q: Lee has five interceptions since the start of last season. Who is second on this roster in that span?

A: Safety Gerald Sensabaugh with two.

“Sean Lee is an outstanding football player,” head coach Jason Garrett said. “I can’t tell you how well he’s been playing.

“He’s the leader of our defense. He makes the calls. He plays the right way in practice. He plays the right way in the game. He defends the run. He defends the pass.

“He’s a bell cow for us and a guy who everybody on our defense and our football team looks up to.”

Connor will now line up next to Bruce Carter. Garrett made the point Wednesday that Connor is here because the team wanted a veteran who could play inside linebacker.

That’s true. But in the midst of this political season, a fact check is required.

The Cowboys signed Connor to play next to Lee if Carter needed more time to develop. He wasn’t signed to replace Lee. Carter’s emergence reduced Connor to a spot player until Lee went down in the second half of Sunday’s game.

“He did a good job in the game against Carolina the other day,” Garrett said. “He’s just going to play more. He’ll be a big part of what we’re doing.”

But not the only part.

The Cowboys had the luxury of staying in their nickel package more than most teams because of Lee’s and Carter’s coverage ability. Connor can’t do what Lee did in coverage. Neither can Alex Albright, who will now get more work at inside than outside linebacker. Former Detroit first-round pick Ernie Sims, who was signed off the street Wednesday, will also be thrown in the mix.

The Cowboys sometimes used Barry Church or Danny McCray in a hybrid role to help in obvious pass situations last season. Church is also out for the season and McCray now starts at safety. One option is to have McCray drop down into that role again and slide Mike Jenkins in at safety.

That still leaves the defensive calls. Cornerback Brandon Carr marveled Wednesday at Lee’s “ability to diagnose plays quicker than anybody I’ve ever seen” and get everyone going to the ball. Carter will now handle the lion’s share of those duties with help from Connor.

Carter did a relatively good job of calling the plays after Lee left. But shortly after Lee left, Carolina gashed the Cowboys for two big gains up the middle on its way to the end zone.

Defensive coordinator Rob Ryan said afterward that Carter made the right verbal checks in those situations but neglected to use hand signals to communicate. He needs to do both.

“That’s definitely something I’ve got to learn by the end of this week,” said Carter, who intends to study with Lee to prepare for the New York Giants. “I know the majority of them. I just have to go back and refresh my memory.”

Lee may be irreplaceable, as Connor contends. But the Cowboys must replace him anyway.

“At the end of the day, they aren’t going to cancel and postpone the games because Sean Lee got hurt,” defensive end Marcus Spears said. “So you don’t have a lot of time to really dwell on it.

“All you can do is move on.”

Catch David Moore on The Ticket (KTCK-AM 1310) three days a week with The Musers (Monday-Wednesday-Friday) at 9:35 a.m. and The Hardline (Tuesday-Wednesday-Friday) at 3:50 p.m. and twice a week (Wednesday-Friday) with BaD radio during the regular season.